Bulgaria seeks strategic investor for tunnel under Petrohan Pass
The state is seeking an investor for the tunnel alongside work on the Hemus motorway. Minister Shishkov apologises for queues at the closed Topli Dol tunnel.
Archive image · Photo: Edal Anton Lefterov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Bulgaria is looking for a strategic investor to build a tunnel under the Petrohan Pass, in parallel with work on the Hemus motorway, Regional Development Minister Ivan Shishkov said in Montana.
Shishkov apologised to drivers for the queues at the Topli Dol tunnel on the Hemus motorway, saying the tunnel's condition had been "an emergency". The detour through Vitinya is considered dangerous because of a retaining wall that could collapse; its repair is due to start early next year and take about a year. A full overhaul of the tunnel will take around six months, with traffic to be temporarily allowed through over Christmas and New Year.
The minister expects lots 0 and 2 of the Vidin–Montana road to be completed next year. Prices and terms are being negotiated for the remaining three lots: construction would take 2.5 years, with the state paying in instalments over five years.